The Impact of War
by Kitsune Curoryu
Summary: The sequel to "Letters to Hikaru", created as a clean up of the previous location. Hikaru has returned from war, but as a changed man. How will the Host Club - and his family - cope with this new Hikaru? How will Hikaru deal with how things have changed back home since he's been gone? OCs, Kyoya x OC, Hikaru x Haruhi. Please read and review!
1. Chapter 1

Hey guys! I was reading "Letters to Hikaru" the other day and was frustrated by the disorganization of it. So I'm fixing it by making all the "Epilogue Part _" into a sequel! ...it doesn't mean I'll be writing more, though. We're done. This story kind of lost its plot and whatnot... I'll just put up parts that you guys never got to see.

Warnings: Um...maybe swearing. Probably ooc-ness.

Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club nor any of the characters. I own Buck Blackfoot and Sophia Suoh. My sister owns Kiseki Hitachiin.

Enjoy!

* * *

Kiseki sighed and looked up at the sky, shielding her eyes from the sun. Shaking her head, she went back to picking apples and placing them in her basket. She frowned sadly when she looked back at the window where Kaoru usually sat, but it was empty today. She sighed again. Boxing tournaments were the only thing he ever went to anymore, so that's where he had to be.

She watched as a car came slowly up their driveway. It was strange, considering they didn't get many visitors anymore. It had been three months, and by now the people had stopped coming. For some reason, everyone had been convinced that Hikaru wasn't going to make it. Now the only people that still have any hope are the Host Club and Kiseki and Sophia.

Confused, she set her basket down and ran to the gate opening it up and closing it behind her. She watched the car curiously and waited for whoever the visitor was to step out of the car.

The first person to step out of the car was a large, muscled man Kiseki could recognize as Buck. He looked over and waved. "You're Miss Kiseki, right? I'm Buck. Ya'll remember me?"

She smiled lightly. "Yes, I remember you, Buck."

"Then you should remember me." A voice came from the car. "Here, Buck, help me out of here, will ya?"

Buck smiled sheepishly. "Alright, alright." He held out an arm and helped the person out of the car.

Hikaru turned to Kiseki. "Hey, sis. What's up?"

Kiseki's eyes went wide, and her knees gave out. She stared in shock, not sure what to do or how to react. "H-Hikaru...?"

The Hitachiin smiled. "So, did you complete my mission for you? Or did you guys fail?"

She ran over to him and gave him a big hug, grinning. "Most of us didn't."

Hikaru winced slightly. "Really? Good. Where's Kaoru?"

Kiseki quickly released him, frowning, "He's at a boxing tournament. Again."

He winked. "Why don't we go pay him a surprise visit? When we get back, I'll explain everything. Mom and dad are home, right?"

"Yeah, of 'course." She smiled again, "They're inside."

"Alright. Buck can drive us to the boxing tournament and we'll snag Hikaru out of there when he's finished. How's that sound?" Hikaru smiled. "I still don't have a license as it is."

"Okay! Ummm...," She paused and turned back to the fence, getting her basket and coming back. "I have to put these away first."

"Alright. We'll be right out here. Don't tell anyone yet." The elder twin grinned and leaned against the car.

Kiseki laughed and ran inside, then came back outside, "Okay, hurry, Mom is getting suspicious."

Hikaru smiled. "How far away is Kaoru's boxing tournament?"

"It's at the school." She smiled, "He should be in the semi-final round by now."

Hikaru nodded "Then we'll get there just in time. Buck, I'll give you directions." He got into the passenger seat.

Buck opened the back door for Kiseki "Here you go."

Kiseki climbed into the back seat and buckled the seat belt. "Mori-senpai should be there too. And Honey-senpai, Tamaki-senpai, and Haruhi-chan." She grinned mischievously.

Hikaru laughed. "Alright, perfect. I'll cover up so they don't recognize me at first." He grinned evilly. "Actually...I've got a plan... It will only work once we're out of the school, though." He laughed again. "But I need your permission to kidnap you."

"If that will make you happy." Kiseki laughed.

"Alright... So I think we should probably warn Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai first so I don't get killed... But I want to see how Kaoru would react to you being 'kidnapped'." Hikaru winked, grinning. "Buck and I would make the perfect kidnappers, ne?"

She rolled her eyes, "Yes, you would. Kaoru won't thank you, though."

He shrugged. "So...is it a good plan? Or not?"

She shrugged, "If you don't mind Kaoru hitting you."

Hikaru laughed. "Nah, I deserve it after what a jerk I was to him before I left. But he'll only get one in before I defend myself. He's not the only one who learned how to fight." He smiled. "I just hope he won't hit me too hard. I'm still recovering."

"Well, I don't expect it will be too soft, he IS a boxer after all."

"True..."

Buck parked in the Academy parking lot. He helped Hikaru out before holding the door open for Kiseki.

Hikaru looked at Ouran Academy, smiling wistfully. "Man, I've missed this place... Is it in the gym? Lead the way."

Kiseki nodded and quickly walked to the gym. She weaved her way through the crowed of people with a sense of grace and confidence that only Hikaru would notice was different. She spotted Mori-senpai with Honey-senpai on his shoulders. She walked over to them and smiled, "How is he doing?"

Mori smiled. "Good."

Honey grinned. "We think he's gonna make it to the finals again!"

Hikaru and Buck followed Kiseki. Hikaru grinned as he saw the two elder Hosts. "Hey Mori-senpai. Hi, Honey-senpai. How's it going?"

Honey-senpai practically fell off of Takashi's shoulders, throwing his arms around Hikaru, "OH MY GOSH, HIKA-CHAN!" Kiseki laughed.

Hikaru laughed, wincing slightly. "Hi, Honey-senpai. It's nice to see you, too. But I need you to do one thing for me."

The little blonde looked up at him innocently, "What is it?"

"Actually, make that two..." Hikaru smiled. "First: I need to breathe... Second: I need you to keep this quiet for a bit. I have a plan and in order for it to work, Kaoru can't know I'm here. Okay?"

Honey-senpai loosened his grip a little bit. "Can do!"

Hikaru grinned. "Good." He looked up at Mori. "And I also need to make sure you two won't kill me and Buck if we kidnap Kiseki." Buck waved from behind Hikaru.

Mori gave him a questioning look.

Honey-senpai looked at him, utterly confused. "Huh? Why would you kidnap her?"

Hikaru winked. "'Cause I have a plan. It's for Kaoru. I want to see how he'd react."

He smiled sympathetically, "Okay. WE won't hurt you."

"That's all I need. Kiseki said Tamaki-senpai and Haruhi-chan would be here. Have you seen them?" Hikaru scanned the crowd. "I think I'll let them wait to know I'm here, too." He flashed a grin to Kiseki. "You know what? We're gonna have a party. A big one."

Buck laughed and turned to Kiseki. "Wow, I've never seen him like this. I guess he wasn't joking when he said he was a little devil!" Hikaru scowled at him.

Kiseki laughed, "No, he wasn't kidding. He and Kaoru are the Host Club's little devils."

Buck laughed. "And you're their sister? Man...I feel sorry for you."

"No kidding. But I'm probably just as bad as them." She laughed.

Hikaru stuck his tongue out at Kiseki. "You can say that again." He turned to watch Kaoru in the boxing ring.

Buck watched as well. "He's good. That's yer brother, right?"

Kiseki nodded, "Yeah. It's basically the only thing he's been doing for the past three months, so I would hope he'd be good at it."

"How often does he win? Ya know, get into the final rounds?" Buck asked.

"He usually gets at least to the semi-finals. Sometimes if he's having an off day he'll only make it to the fourth round." Kiseki smiled.

Buck smiled. "But he seems to be doin' alright out thar. Ya think he'll win?"

"Yeah. He's doing really well today." She winced when Kaoru delivered the final blow that would lead him to the final round.

Hikaru laughed. "I guess I didn't have to worry too much about Kaoru not getting muscles... He seems to have done well on his own... I'm getting a little nervous about that punch he's gonna give me, now..."

Kiseki laughed, edging a little closer to the front as the final round began.

Hikaru smiled and whispered: "As soon as the round's over, we need to get the plan working. It's gonna start once you guys are out of the school. When the round ends, me and Buck are gonna go outside and wait. Okay?"

Kiseki nodded, "Okay."

"We need some sort of signal you can give us when you're ready, so we don't scare you." Buck said.

Hikaru frowned. "Aw, why can't we scare her?"

Kiseki laughed, "It WOULD be a lot more convincing if you didn't tell me."

Buck nodded. "That's true, but we don't want it to seem like we're actually kidnapping you. We might get arrested."

She shrugged, "I'll know it's you guys."

Hikaru smiles. "Alright then. But if we get arrested, it's your fault." He turned back to watching Kaoru.

She shrugged, "I won't be the one to bail you out."

Kiseki cringed as Kaoru won the match, leaving the other opponent with a black eye and a split lip.

Hikaru grinned. "He won... That's great. Though I have a feeling I'm gonna regret doing this... Alright, we'll be outside." Buck and Hikaru quietly slipped out of the building.

Kiseki smiled and walked over to Kaoru, "Congratulations!"

Kaoru barely smiled, panting. "Thanks... That was tough..."

Kiseki's smile faltered for a minute, "Well, you did good." She started leading the way out to the parking lot.

Mori looked at Kaoru as they walked. "Good job. You've improved."

Kaoru smiled. "Thanks..."

Kiseki smiled, stepping outside, holding the door open for the others.

Suddenly, Kiseki was grabbed by a man in a dark hood. Another man grabbed Kiseki from him and slung her over his shoulder. Kiseki screamed, and struggled to get away. Kaoru instantly turned and punched the man that had his sister. The man grunted and dropped Kiseki. Kiseki ran back towards Mori-senpai, and Kaoru moved to stand in the way of her and the two men.

The smaller man stepped forward, speaking in a deep voice. "Give us the girl, and no one gets hurt."

Kaoru glared at him, "I'd like to see you _try_ to take her."

The man took a couple steps forward. "Don't say I didn't warn you, kid."

Kaoru put his hands up into his boxing position, glaring at him, "Try me."

The man charged at Kaoru, veering to go towards Kiseki at the last moment. Kaoru jumped between then, swinging his fist into the man's stomach.

The man cried out and stepped back. As he looked back up at Kaoru, his hood fell off to reveal Hikaru. "Hey...Kaoru..." Hikaru smiled. "That's some right hook you got there..."

* * *

Nothing new here, just in a new location. I'll have the next few up as soon as I can. Be sure to read them, even if they look the same. I've done some editing.

Kitsune Curoryu


	2. Chapter 2

Hello! Again, some stuff you've already read. But please read it again! I may have changed it! The next one will be up soon!

Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club nor any of the characters.

Enjoy!

* * *

Kaoru froze, staring in disbelief, "H-Hikaru?"

Hikaru nodded. "Yeah... I just came back today... Can't believe you totally fell for the whole kidnapping thing... That's Buck." The other man removed his hood as well to reveal Buck. "We totally had you fooled, eh, Kaoru?"

Kaoru just shook his head, exasperated, "Geez, trying to give me a heart attack or something?"

Hikaru laughed. "I was just trying to make sure that I wasn't the only one who could protect her. I mean, she DID say you were a wimp."

"I am not!" Kaoru glared at Kiseki, but the younger girl just laughed. Kaoru sighed and looked at Hikaru. "It's been a while, huh?"

Hikaru swallowed thickly. "Y-yeah...it has... I...I saw your match. I'm proud of you."

Kaoru looked away, "...it's not a big deal."

"Of course it is! If you hadn't've learned boxing, what would you have done a few minutes ago? I mean, we weren't really able to fight before, so you wouldn't have been able to really hurt me." Hikaru smiled. "That is, if I wasn't injured in the first place. Not to mention, boxing is a good stress reliever. And I'm sure it helped while I was gone."

Kaoru rolled his eyes, "Whatever. It's not a big deal to me because it's become a regular thing for me. You should see Kiseki during Track and Cross-country."

Kiseki looked at Kaoru, "Hey, not fair!"

Hikaru turned to Kiseki. "You didn't tell me about Track and Cross-country." He smiled. "Why's that? Hm?"

"Because you didn't ask." She lifted her chin and looked away.

Kaoru laughed, "She's embarrassed."

Hikaru smiled. "Oh well. Now we have something to bribe her with. Maybe she'll finally take those cameras out of our room."

Kiseki grinned, "Don't count on it."

Hikaru sighed. "Oh well." He looked to Mori and Honey. "I think it's about time I told Tamaki-senpai I was back. I'm sure my ears can handle it. Do you know where he is?"

Mori pointed to where Haruhi, Tamaki and Sophia were approaching.

Haruhi noticed them first, and smiled, walking over to join them, "Hey, you did good Kaoru." She hesitated when she saw Hikaru, then laughed, "I'm guessing that I'll see Hikaru if I squint really hard and try to see the resemblance?"

Kiseki laughed, "Yes."

Hikaru smiled sheepishly. "Hey, Haruhi-chan. Nice to see you." He looked to Tamaki and Sophia. "Hey guys. Thanks for sending the pictures. It was really nice."

Tamaki's eyes widened. "Hikaru? You're back!" He frowned. "From now on, you're never allowed to scare me like that again! And that's an order!"

Hikaru laughed, saluting. "Yes, sir, milord, sir!"

Haruhi smiled, "So, what have you thought of for a welcome home party? Anything specific?"

"Yes! We're gonna throw a HUGE party and we're gonna go to the beach and everything!" Kiseki answered excitedly.

Hikaru looked at Kiseki. "When did I say anything about a beach? I just said we're throwing a huge party!" He frowned, but turned back to Haruhi. "So far, the only plan is a huge party. As it is, I haven't told my parents that I'm back, yet."

Tamaki twitched. "Then go tell your parents! They should've been the first to know!"

"Well, excuse me for caring about my siblings first!" Hikaru put his hands on his hips. "Not to mention you guys. In fact, after Kiseki, Mori-senpai and Honey-senpai found out. Before you. And before Kaoru. So there." He stuck his tongue out.

Haruhi laughed. "Wow, you really haven't changed at all have you?"

Hikaru laughed and scratched the back of his head. "No...Not really. I mean, come on, it'd take more than a little fighting and warfare to change this personality!" He grinned.

She just laughed and shook her head. Kiseki suddenly gasped and ran off into the parking lot.

Hikaru looked after her for a moment, and then looked at Kaoru. They nodded and ran after her, the rest of the Host Club not far behind.

"Kiseki!" The twins called. "Where are you going?"

She stopped when she reached the entrance to the parking lot. Frowning, she watched a black car drive away. "He got away again."

Hikaru and Kaoru popped up beside her. "Who?"

"Kyoya-senpai."

"Oh..."

Hikaru thought for a moment. "I wonder if telling him I'm back will make any difference. What do you think?" He looked to Kiseki. "You're better at judging people."

She glanced sidelong at him, "I don't know. I can't figure him out like other people."

"Should we give it a try, at least?"

"He's just as much a friend as everyone else."

"Alright then." Hikaru smiled. "Operation: Enlighten the Shadow King is set!" He turned to Kiseki. "So, he won't answer his phone?"

She stared at him almost sadly for a minute, "Well...he answers occasionally when I call, but he wouldn't even pick up when Tamaki called him. I could try, but I'm not sure what good it will do."

Hikaru smiled. "If he picks up, let me talk to him." He laughed. "As it is, I lost my cell phone."

"Okay." Kiseki pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and dialed Kyoya's number, crossing her fingers.

Hikaru grins. "It's gonna work. I just know it."

Kaoru tried to hide a smile, "Obviously she hasn't told you."

Hikaru turned to him. "Told me what?"

Kyoya answered his phone. "Hello?"

Kaoru smiled, "About her soon to be relationship with Kyoya-senpai."

Kiseki shushed them, "Kyoya-senpai?"

Hikaru gawked at his sister, and then turned back to Kaoru, lowering his voice. "K-Kyoya-senpai? Our Kyoya-senpai? The Shadow King? But... I thought she liked Mori-senpai?"

"Yes, Kiseki?" Kyoya answered.

Kaoru smiled and glanced at Kiseki, "You'd be surprised. She grew out of Mori-senpai. That was more of a childish crush. But it's ALMOST official between her and Kyoya-senpai."

Kiseki shushed them again, blushing, "U-um...you're not gonna hang up on me again, are you?"

Kyoya paused. "No. Not this time."

Hikaru ignored her, whispering to Kaoru. "When did this happen?"

"About a week after we found out you were captured." Kaoru whispered back.

Kiseki smiled, "Good. Um...there's someone that wants to talk to you. It's not anyone that usually asks, I promise."

"But I thought Kyoya-senpai wasn't talking to anyone?" Hikaru said.

"Who is it?" Kyoya asked, sounding bored.

She glanced at him, crossing her fingers and smiling, "Um...Hikaru."

Kyoya sighed. "Don't put Kaoru on, thinking you can fool me. Hikaru's not back."

Kiseki frowned, "It's true! He just got back today! I have no reason to lie to you, Kyoya-senpai."

There was another pause. "He's back?"

"Uh-huh. I promise I'm not lying."

Yet another pause. "...and he wishes to speak with me?"

"Yes! Don't you trust me?" Kiseki tried desperately.

"...yes, I trust you. I just find it...difficult to grasp."

"You have to believe me. Will you just talk to him for a little bit? Please?"

Kyoya sighed again. "I suppose..."

Kiseki sighed, relieved and passed the phone to Hikaru.

Hikaru took the phone carefully, as if it were a bomb. "Kyoya-senpai?"

"...yes?" The answer was hesitant.

Hikaru swallowed. "It's Hikaru. I'm back... How have you been?"

It was silent for a moment, then, "...is it really you, or is this Kaoru trying to trick me again?"

The elder Hitachiin chuckled slightly, nervously. "No, it's really me. Kaoru's over here. Why are you being mopey? I thought mood swings were reserved for Tamaki-senpai."

"I'm not being 'mopey'." He muttered, slightly irritated.

"If you say so. If you haven't been mopey, then how have you been?" Hikaru asked.

"The same as I've always been." Kyoya responded coolly.

"Riiiight... You haven't been around the Host Club. You never visited, if the information Kiseki gave me was right." Hikaru smiled. "Did you _miss_ me?"

"No." The Shadow King reacted quickly.

"Uh-huh...suuuree... If that's not it, then what is it?"

"I've been busy."

"You've never been that busy before." Hikaru said. "Why all of the sudden?"

"...you wouldn't understand."

Hikaru rolled his eyes. "I'm a little more mature than I was when I left. Try me."

"I'd rather not. Especially when I know your sister and everyone else is standing there with you."

The elder Hitachiin glanced at all the others standing around. "Fair enough. So, since I'm back, are you gonna come back and please your customers at the Host Club?"

Kyoya hesitated, "...maybe."

"Well...why wouldn't you?" Hikaru frowned.

"I don't want to upset Kiseki. She got really sick while you were gone. I'm surprised she didn't tell you."

He looked at Kiseki, then away again. "No...She didn't tell me. What happened? And why would you coming back upset her?"

"...it's hard to explain."

Hikaru sighed. "Fine. We'll talk later, then. I still have to tell my parents that I'm back. I expect to see you at the next Host Club meeting, alright?"

"I can't make any promises." Kyoya muttered, and then hung up.

The Hitachiin sighed and gave Kiseki her phone back. "Here. We should probably get back home, before mom and dad start to wonder where you and Kaoru are."

Kiseki smiled slightly, "He's not coming back because of me, right?"

"Nah, it isn't your fault." He smiled back at her. "He's just busy. You know, doing whatever the Shadow King does."

"Oh." Her smile brightened, "I see. So he's just being stubborn?"

"Pretty much." Hikaru grinned.

She laughed, "Then that's normal."

Hikaru looked back to everyone else. "So, it was nice seeing everyone. When's the next Host Club meeting?"

Tamaki smiled. "Tomorrow, at 3 o'clock."

"I'll be there, then." Hikaru promised.

Honey glomped him excitedly, "Yaaay! Hika-chan's back!"

Haruhi and Kiseki laughed, Kaoru just smiled. Mori smiled, while Tamaki and Sophia laughed.

Hikaru lightly pushed Honey away, laughing. "Ow, Senpai, you're hurting me!"

Honey-senpai let go quickly, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to!"

Hikaru smiled. "It's okay, senpai. I'm still recovering though, okay?"

"Aye, aye, Sir!" the blonde grinned, moving Usa-chan's arms in a little salute.

The elder Hitachiin laughed again. "I'm not a ship captain. I'm a colonel."

"Oh, well! I'm no good with army stuff anyway!" Honey laughed.

"That's alright. Confused the crud out of me until we took the classes." He smiled and leaned closer. "Funny thing is, Buck's older, but I can boss him around. He's a lower rank than me." Hikaru winked.

Honey and Kiseki exchanged glances, then they both looked at him blankly, and Honey said, "I think Buck's the one that bosses you around even though you're a higher rank."

Hikaru chuckled. "True enough."

Buck walked over to Hikaru. "Hey, it's gettin' late. We'd better get these two kids home, don't'cha think?" He looked at Kaoru and Kiseki.

Hikaru smiled. "Yeah, sure."

Kaoru frowned. "Kids?"

Kiseki frowned and crossed her arms, "We're just as old as he is! We're not kids!"

"You're a few minutes younger." Hikaru pointed out.

Buck laughed. "I call him kid, too. Don't worry." Hikaru scowled at him.

Kiseki laughed, "Okay, I guess it's fair then."

Tamaki waved as him and Sophia walked away. "We have to get home. See you tomorrow, three o'clock!"

Mori picked Honey up and put him on his shoulders. "Mitsukuni, we should go, too."

"Okie dokie! Bye, bye, Hika-chan, Kao-chan! Bye Kiseki-chan!"

Kiseki waved, "Bye, bye."

Hikaru smiled as everyone left. "Man...I never realized how much I really missed everyone."

Kiseki smiled slightly, "It's really different now, huh? Maybe not some things, but tomorrow...well, you'll notice that everything is different."

Hikaru's smile faded. "How bad is it?"

Kiseki just smiled sadly and walked back to the parking lot. Hikaru and Kaoru followed, Buck close behind. Hikaru walked over to the car Buck had driven over and got into the passenger seat. Kaoru got in the back, with Buck once more taking the driver's seat. Kiseki sat next to Kaoru, buckling her seat belt and leaning her head against the window.

Hikaru watched out the window as Buck started driving. "So...why didn't you tell me you got sick, Kiseki?"

She looks at him, "I did tell you."

"Did you really?" Hikaru looked at her in the rear view mirror.

"Yes." She looked back out the window, "Letter number nine."

"Oh...right... Kyoya-senpai made it sound worse than you told me." He looked out the window as well. "Sorry."

She stiffened, tension becoming thick in the atmosphere. Kiseki shifted uncomfortably.

Hikaru sighed. "I understand if you didn't want to worry me. But I'm not on the battlefield anymore. So you can tell me now."

"...it's not important."

"It IS important, Kiseki. You're my sister."

"Not everything that happens to me is important." She pulled her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them.

His voice dropped to a whisper and he looked down. "...maybe not to everyone else, but it is to me."

"Why? Why does it matter?"

Hikaru took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, calming himself. Then, very quietly he said: "Because I am your brother. We've always been close. And I've just been gone for about a year, not knowing whether I'd ever see you again. It matters."

"...it doesn't matter to me. So it's not worth mentioning."

He sighed and watched out the window. "Fine."

Buck pulled up into the driveway. "We're here."

Hikaru got out and opened the car door for Kiseki. "Here."

Kiseki hesitates, looking at him, almost as if she's looking through him, then unbuckles and gets out of the car.

Hikaru avoided her gaze and walked up to the house. He opened the front door, his hands shaking. "You and Kaoru have to go first."

Kiseki frowned, but walked in the house with Kaoru. Hikaru and Buck followed them. Kaoru went up to his room as the triplet's parents came down, they smiled at Kiseki, and she smiled slightly in response. When they saw Hikaru they froze. A few slow seconds passed before their mother threw her arms around him, silent tears rolling down her cheeks. Their father looked stunned.

"I thought I'd never see you again!" Their mother exclaimed.

Hikaru returned the hug, closing his eyes. I didn't think I'd get out alive... It's so wonderful to see you again, mom. He stepped back from their mom and looked at Mr. Hitachiin. "Great to see you too, dad. I missed you. Both of you."

He smiled, "It's great to see you back." The two adults looked at Buck. "This a friend of yours?"

Buck stepped forward and held out his hand to Mr. Hitachiin. "My name's Buck Blackfoot. I was a member of Hikaru's squad. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Hikaru smiled. "It's thanks to him that I'm back."

Mr. Hitachiin smiled and shook his hand, "Then I owe you a lot."

Buck smiled. "Ya'll don't owe me a thang. Little Hikaru's my pal, too."

"Well, then at least stay with us for a while." Mrs. Hitachiin offered.

"Sounds good to me!" He smiled. "'Sides, I gotta stay with Hikaru 'til he's all recovered. Lieutenant's orders."

Hikaru rolled his eyes, sighing.

Kiseki smiled and pulled Buck towards the stairs, "Then you gotta go this way!"

Buck laughed and waved to Hikaru. "Alright, little miss, I'm comin'."

Hikaru tensed slightly as he watched them leave.

Kiseki led him up the stairs and a little ways down the hallway. She frowned and looked at Buck once they were out of sight, "Something isn't right."

Buck's smile faded slightly. "Like what?"

"He's not acting normal. I don't know why, but...no one else seems to notice. Except maybe Kaoru."

He frowned. "He's acting just fine."

"No...Something's wrong."

"Nothin's wrong for his...situation." Buck looked at the wall, avoiding Kiseki's gaze.

"What situation?" She stiffened.

"He's a recovered Prisoner of War." The Texan soldier looked at her. "There's bound to be some...complications."

"...he's not 'fine' no matter what you say."

He sighed. "I know. But Hikaru doesn't want me to say anything. He doesn't want you to know."

"That's not fair! He always knows when something is wrong with me, and I can never hide it. He can't keep it to himself!"

"It ain't my place to tell you. Ya'll can corner him 'bout it." Buck smiled slightly. "I didn't say nothin'."

She sighed, "Fine. The guest rooms are this way." She gestured down the hall, "They're all empty, so you can pick whatever one. I'm in the room on the other end of the hall. Hikaru and Kaoru are on the third floor."

"Alright. Ya best go save Hikaru from your parents, 'fore he has a lil' breakdown or somethin'." Buck started walking down the hall. "Oh, and Miss Kiseki?" He turned to look at her. "If ya'll wanna know, ya should look up 'PTS Disorder'. It might help a bit. But I didn't say nothin'." He winked and continued on his way.

She smiled slightly and waved half-heartedly, then walked back downstairs.

Hikaru was sitting in the living room with their parents, tapping his finger sub-consciously. "So...I saw Kaoru's boxing match. You guys must be proud."

Kiseki set a hand gently on his shoulder, "Hey, Buck said that we should let him settle in for a while." She smiled innocently and led Hikaru out of the room.

Hikaru sighed and smiled slightly. "Thanks. I'm not used to talking to mom and dad that much."

"I guessed as much. None of us are very good at talking to them." She smiled.

"That's kind of sad..." He paused, and then smiled. "So you got Buck all settled in?"

"Yeah."

"Good. And...Kaoru's retreated to seclude himself in our room?" Hikaru frowned.

"Yeah. That's not new, though." She sighed.

"Then I should go bother him." The elder Hitachiin sighed. "Besides, we need to catch up, and I gotta snap him out of his little world." He smiled forcibly.

Kiseki paused, and then frowned, "You know...you don't have to pretend."

Hikaru faltered. "...I'll see you tomorrow, okay? Sweet dreams." He hugged Kiseki tightly before walking away

She watched him sadly, and then went back to her own room.

* * *

Kitsune Curoryu


	3. Chapter 3

Here's the next chapter...you guys may recognize some of this part, too. But after this should be all new. I think. Then again, some of you may not have a clue what I'm talking about. Oh well.

Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club nor any of the characters. I own Buck Blackfoot.

Um...no warnings, really.

Enjoy!

* * *

In the early hours of morning, Hikaru sat straight up in his bed, covered and sweat, his eyes panicked. He quickly looked around, realizing he was in the room he shared with Kaoru. With a shaky breath, he walked out of the room and wandered the halls, eventually coming to a stop at the window seat in the parlor, where he sat and looked blankly at the dark sky. Soft footsteps sounded in the kitchen a few moments later.

Hikaru jumped, eyes going wide as he slowly stood up. "Hello? Who's there?"

The footsteps stopped and someone called softly, "Hikaru?"

The elder Hitachiin walked slowly towards the kitchen. "...Kiseki? Is that you?"

She appeared in the doorway, smiling sheepishly with a cup of water in her hand, "Sorry."

He let out a breath, relieved. "What are you apologizing for? You didn't do anything wrong."

She looked down at the ground, "Yeah, but you're all jumpy...you looked really scared."

Hikaru shook his head. "Nah, I'm alright. You just startled me. I must've been falling asleep over there." He smiled slightly.

"...are you sure?"

"About falling asleep? No." He smiled sheepishly. "But you did startle me."

"...okay. Sorry. I couldn't sleep so I went to get water."

"Oh. Does it help you any?" Hikaru looked at her curiously.

"Sometimes. But usually I sit by my window. That usually helps more."

"That's what I was trying, down here." He gestured to the window seat. "I don't think it helped much. I'll try water, then."

She smiled, "Okay. If that doesn't work try listening to music."

He smiled back. "Thanks. I'll try. Maybe it'll work." Hikaru looked at his sister. "Any particular reason you couldn't sleep?"

She looked into her cup, swirling the water around, but didn't say anything.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He prodded gently.

She smiled, but she seemed to be lost in her own little world, completely oblivious to her surroundings.

Hikaru looked at her, slightly concerned. "Kiseki?"

Her eyes started to droop and she swayed a little.

"Kiseki, snap out of it!" Hikaru paled and reached out, shaking her lightly.

She blinked, surprised, then looked up at him, "What?"

Hikaru looked at her, concerned. "You were spacing out."

"Oh." She laughed a little nervously, "Sorry."

The elder Hitachiin frowned. "Kiseki, how sick were you while I was gone? And tell the truth."

"It was the same as it always is. Why?" She looked away.

"Why were you spacing out?" He asked.

"It's not _that_ unusual to space out."

Hikaru let out a breath. "R-right. Sorry." He smiled. "Overreacted. Again."

She smiled slightly, but looked guilty as she turned away, "Oyasumi nasai, Onii-chan."

"Good night." Hikaru smiled and walked back to the window seat. Kiseki hesitated, and then walked away.

* * *

Kiseki slowly made her way to the kitchen, rubbing sleep out of her eyes. Buck was awake and sitting at the table with Hikaru. They both looked up.

"Good mornin', Miss Kiseki." Buck greeted.

"Morning, Kiseki." Hikaru said.

"Mmmm..." She mumbled, sitting down on a stool.

"Did you sleep well?" Hikaru asked.

"...not really." She laid her head down on the table with a light 'thud'.

Buck chuckled. "Did'ja try countin' sheep?"

"I don't like sheep..." She mumbled, her eyes closing slowly.

"But it's supposed to help ya sleep." Buck said.

She didn't answer, but her breathing slowed and evened out, signifying that she had fallen asleep.

Hikaru sighed, relieved. "She needs to get her sleep."

Buck looked at him. "So do you."

He shrugged. "I try."

Kaoru walks in, sighing when he saw Kiseki, but sat next to her.

"I don't see why she doesn't sleep anymore." He frowned.

Hikaru looked at him. "She doesn't talk about it, does she?"

"No...She avoids it as much as she can."

"Hm." The elder looked at their sister, worried. "Our family really needs to open up some." He looked back at Kaoru. "That includes you, too."

"Hm...Good luck." Kaoru stood up and walked out of the room.

"Kaoru!" Hikaru looked at Buck and Kiseki before following his twin. "Kaoru, wait up!"

Kaoru glanced back, reluctantly coming to a halt, "...there's not much you can do, you know."

"About getting the family to open up?" Hikaru stopped and frowned. "I will teach by example and start with you, and eventually get Kiseki. Then we'll all work towards talking to mom and dad some more. You can't say I can't do anything, because it's not healthy for our family to live like this."

"Mom and Dad are never around. Kiseki tried. And they didn't listen. She doesn't want you to know, but if we're not careful, we might lose her." Kaoru looked away, trembling.

"That's how it's always been." Hikaru sighed. "At least the three of us can open up to each other, right? I'll see what I can do with mom and dad..." His hands shook slightly as he ran a hand through his short hair. "But we need to talk to each other. Things apparently got really bad while I was gone. And now I gotta fix it."

Kaoru smiled bitterly, "If only you knew how right you are." He started to walk away again.

"Kaoru..." Hikaru grabbed his brother's arm. "Talk to me. Please. I'm sorry for joining the army. I'm sorry for almost getting killed. But I never wanted any of that to push us apart. Please, tell me what's wrong, so I can try to fix it."

Kaoru started trembling, "We're losing Kiseki...and she won't even acknowledge that fact. And we almost lost you, too. What's wrong? Everything. Everything is wrong!"

"Then I'll make everything right. I will do what I have to." Hikaru's face lost its color. "I don't care how much crap I'll have to work through, I will fix it. But I will need your help. I've never been able to fix Kiseki alone, and now is no exception."

"Hikaru, she's _dying_."

The elder Hitachiin let out a shaky breath, closing his eyes. "I...I can't fix that, but we can spend time together before...before anything else happens. We need to stop secluding ourselves from each other. We're _family._"

"No one's ever around anymore. The house is dark, it's quiet, and it's empty. I tried, too. Mom and Dad don't care. They're only concern is work. And I don't blame them. Our life had been hell. They're trying to get enough money to pay for hospital bills so we can have even a slight chance of saving Kiseki."

Hikaru took in another breath, reaching a hand to his forehead. "I...I..." He collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily.

Kaoru paled and kneeled beside him, "Hikaru? What's wrong? What happened?"

Hikaru shakes his head. "I...I just need to rest..." He winced, his face paling even more. "I just...need..." The ex-army soldier looked up at Kaoru. "I need water...can you get it for me?"

"Y-yeah...wait here." Kaoru quickly walked away, then returned a few seconds later with a glass of water, "Here...are you sure you're alright?"

Hikaru took a small sip of the water, closing his eyes and taking deep breaths, the cup in his hand shaking. "J-just freaked out a bit... I'll be...I'll be alright..."

"Hikaru...PTS...is that what this is about? Is this what happens?"

The elder twin looked up at Kaoru with wide eyes. "How did you...?"

"Buck mentioned it to Kiseki. We looked it up last night." Kaoru frowned.

Hikaru looked at the rippling water in the glass. "...Post-Traumatic Stress disorder... Commonly found in Prisoners of War..." He sighed. "Yeah...that...that's what I have..."

"Is there any way we can help?"

"I have medicine for it. I should be fine." Hikaru shook his head and sipped more water.

"...okay."

He sighed. "We should worry more about Kiseki. Has she been taking her medicine?"

"Not as much as she should, but yes."

"Is that why she's...why she's getting worse?" Hikaru asked.

"...that's part of it."

Hikaru chewed his lip, thinking. "...I'll talk to her. I know I won't be able to do much...but I'll do the best I can. As it is, we gotta get ready for school." He smiled. "Totally forgot."

Kaoru smiled slightly, "It's Sunday."

"Well, we still have that Host Club Meeting today, remember? At three?" Hikaru rolled his eyes. "We gotta go to that, at least."

"That's not for a while, so we have some time."

"So what should we do?" The elder twin looked towards the kitchen. "We can make breakfast."

"Sure. We just gotta be careful, so we don't wake Kiseki. She hates sitting around while other people do things for her. She always has, but she hates it even more, now that she's not even allowed to help." Kaoru smiled.

Hikaru stood shakily, sipping the water again. "Alright. We'll be quiet."

"Okay." Kaoru turned back towards the kitchen, stepping lightly.

Hikaru followed, smiling. He set the cup on the counter. "So, what are we making?" He asked in a whisper.

"Hmmmm...we could try pancakes...or waffles...I'm not very good at cooking." Kaoru whispered, smiling sheepishly.

Hikaru rolled his eyes. "I can make eggs. And bacon, if you want. We were taught how to cook while in the field."

Kaoru stuck his tongue out, "Well not all of us are as skilled as the mighty Hikaru."

The elder twin chuckled. "'Mighty Hikaru'? Wow, you really think too highly of me."

Kaoru rolled his eyes, "It's called sarcasm."

Hikaru ruffled his twin's hair. "I am well aware of that, dear little brother." He laughed quietly. "So, do we have eggs and bacon and whatnot?"

Kaoru frowned, brushing his hair out of his eyes, "Yeah."

"Good. Then I'll start up breakfast. You gonna help me?" Hikaru began rummaging in the fridge, grabbing things he needed.

Kaoru smiled and walked over to help. "Yeah."

The elder twin smiled. "Then again, you still can't cook, can you?"

Kaoru sticks his tongue out at him, "Yeah, well, you can just tell me what I have to do."

Hikaru made a face at Kaoru and laughed. "And then you'll mess it up."

"I'm not THAT bad at following directions!" Kaoru grinned.

"We'll see." Hikaru passed Kaoru the bread. "Surely you can manage to make toast, little brother?"

Kaoru just rolled his eyes and put the bread in the toaster.

After about thirty minutes of cooking, breakfast was done, complete with toast, eggs, bacon, and pancakes.

Hikaru smiled. "Well, I think we did well for our first time actually trying to cook together."

Buck laughed. "You might wanna wait until we taste it, first. Remember what happened when you cooked that bird?"

Hikaru blushed. "Well... That was..." He rubbed the back of his head. "Whatever. Brat."

Kaoru looked between the two of them, "Bird...? Nevermind, I don't want to know."

The American man grinned. "Yer brother doesn't cook as well as he says he does."

"Buck, be quiet or you won't get any breakfast!" Hikaru blushed even brighter. "Besides, it was that one time!"

Buck raised an eyebrow. "And what about the snake?"

"How was I supposed to know it was poisonous?" The elder Hitachiin looked away, his face by now matching the color of his hair.

By then, Kaoru was already leaning on the counter to support himself from laughing too hard, "I guess deep down he will always be a rich man's son!"

Hikaru's face burned brighter, if possible. "At least I can cook better than you!"

Kaoru grinned at him, "Okay, that's probably true, but I've never had to cook before."

"You should start learning." Hikaru cracked another egg into the pan. "Where are the servants, anyways?"

Kaoru looked away, "A lot of them have stopped coming every day."

Hikaru frowned. "What, did they get fed up with all of the pranks already?" He put the food on the table, glancing at the still sleeping Kiseki.

"I guess you could say that." He smiled weakly.

"Kaoru..." The elder twin looked at his brother. "How bad has it gotten? What has changed since I was home last?"

Kaoru just sighed, "Now's not really the best time to explain."

"Then when?" Hikaru hissed. "I deserve to know the truth, especially since all of you seem so intent on keeping it from me."

"When Kiseki wakes up." The younger Hitachiin ran a hand over his eyes, "That way she can help me."

The elder Hitachiin sighed. He suddenly smacked Buck's hand, which had been reaching for a slice of toast.

"Wait for Kiseki, at least. It's rude not to." He snapped, sitting down across from his sleeping sister. Buck rubbed his hand, chuckling quietly.

Kaoru smiled, glancing at the youngest sibling, "You don't have to be so harsh, Hikaru."

"But it's rude." Hikaru stated.

"Well you didn't have to _hit_ him." Kaoru laughed lightly.

"Nothing else would have stopped him." The ex-soldier frowned. "He has a black hole for a stomach."

Buck laughed. "It's true."

The younger twin shook his head, "Remember when _you_ used to be like that?"

A faint blush tinted Hikaru's face. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Exactly." He grinned.

"It's still rude to eat while she's sleeping." The elder Hitachiin looked at Kiseki. "The food is for her, too."

Kaoru nodded, "So we'll wait, but you still didn't have to hit him."

Hikaru ignored him and got some more water, frowning. "So is today something special? Or is Boss just holding a random meeting?"

"It's more of a party than a meeting." The younger shrugged.

His frown deepened as he stared into the glass of water. "A party celebrating my return, right?"

"Most likely. That, and Tamaki-senpai's been planning on using Kiseki as bait so that we can confront Kyoya-senpai. So we'll probably plan stuff out for both of them."

Hikaru almost smiled. "So what exactly has been going on between our baby sister and the Shadow King?"

Kaoru grinned, "A lot more than she'll admit."

"Ah, but that doesn't mean anything." He chuckled. "I mean, Boss wouldn't admit that he was head over heels for Haruhi-chan."

"True, but it's painfully obvious."

"Do you think Kyoya-senpai will come to the meeting-slash-party?" Hikaru asked, watching Kiseki sleep. "I mean, since Kiseki will be there and I'll be there... Do you think it'll be enough to drag the Shadow King from the shadows?"

Kaoru smiled softly at their little sister, "Yeah. It'll be enough."

"It's a good thing, though, right? There isn't gonna be some huge argument or something because Kyoya's been...stubborn?"

"No. The Boss might be a little hurt, but he won't let it interfere with your welcome home party." He smiled at Hikaru, "You're not the only one who's grown up a little."

"Boss? Mature? I'll believe it when I see it." Hikaru laughed.

"Nothing major. Just slightly more mellow." Kaoru sweat-dropped, "Ever since he accidentally made Kiseki cry and Sophia beat him up."

"What did Boss do this time?" The elder twin sighed.

"Ah...well, he scared her at the haunted house last Halloween, and she freaked out really bad." Kaoru smiled helplessly, rubbing the back of his head.

Hikaru laughed. *How bad did Lil' Boss beat him up?"

Kaoru grinned, "I'd say she got him pretty good. He couldn't see out of his left eye for a week."

If possible, the ex-soldier laughed harder. "Wow, did he have customers after that? How did they react? Heck, how did Boss react? I'd pay to see that!"

"No, he refused to let anyone see him until it healed enough to hide it with make-up."

"Wow, remind me to praise Lil' Boss at the party." Hikaru grinned. "I mean, I knew she was gutsy, but to actually beat up Boss..." He shook his head.

"Yeah. It surprised all of us, but she and Kiseki have been really close friends from the beginning. Sophia's gotten more of a back-bone, and Kiseki is starting to lose hers." Kaoru frowned slightly, "Kyoya's little disappearing act hit her pretty hard."

Hikaru nodded. He stared into his water glass, thinking.

"But it'll be okay! I mean, he'll definitely come today!" Kaoru amended, trying to make Hikaru stop looking so sad.

The elder Hitachiin sighed and stood to get more water. "I have lots of work to do."

"What kind of work?" The younger twin's face fell.

"Fixing everything. Our family, the Host Club... As much as I can." Hikaru answered, pacing. "If it's the last thing I do, I will make things how they should be."

* * *

Kitsune Curoryu


	4. Chapter 4

Hey everyone! Time for the latest chapter and an announcement! I'll be leaving in about a week, moving to a school facility of sorts, most likely without my laptop. So...this may be the last update for a few months or maybe a year, I'm not sure how long yet.

I do end up leaving it on a bad note at the end of this chapter...but this story is almost finished. So I believe the next chapter is the last. I can't remember.

Anyways, enjoy!

Warnings: Probably some minor swear words...not much else.

Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club nor any of the characters. I own Buck and Sophia and my sister owns Kiseki.

* * *

"That's not you responsibility, Hikaru. It's our fault for falling apart just because you left. I mean, none of us doubted you'd come back, and we still couldn't pull ourselves together." Kaoru attempted a smile.

"Even if it's not my responsibility, it doesn't look to me like anyone else is going to do anything. So it's up to me." The elder twin ran a hand through his hair.

"Hey, kid, calm down." Buck said. "You know what the doctor said."

"I don't care what the doctor said! The doctor didn't know how messed up things are!" Hikaru snapped. "I am going to make things right."

Kaoru shrank back a little and Kiseki sat up. Their little sister's sleepy gaze held a prominent edge of fear. Buck looked at Hikaru. The eldest Hitachiin looked between his siblings and Buck before letting out a breath and sitting back down.

"Sorry. I guess I lost control." He attempted a smile as he hid his hands under the table.

Kaoru and Kiseki stared at the table. A thick tension grew between the three triplets. Almost as if the younger two had created a completely different world in the time that Hikaru had been gone.

"Well," Buck cleared his throat. "Let's dig in!" He started loading his plate with food. Hikaru followed suit quietly, avoiding his siblings' gazes. Kaoru laughed lightly, shaking the tension out of the air. Kiseki smiled a little, and the two of them followed the older two's example.

Hikaru paused briefly. "So what time is the party-slash-meeting?"

"Three o' clock." Kaoru answered.

"What are we supposed to do until then?"

"Well...I have practice for a little while, but you could go with Kiseki and visit with her and Tamaki during her lessons." Kaoru suggested.

Hikaru raised one red/brown eyebrow. "Lessons?"

Kiseki smiled sheepishly, "Tamaki-senpai is giving me piano lessons."

The elder Hitachiin smiled. "Ah, okay. Sure, I'll tag along with her for a while."

Kiseki blushed, slightly embarrassed, "'Kay."

Hikaru picked at his food as he looked at Kiseki. "Are you any good? I mean, with a teacher like Boss, you gotta have some talent, right?"

"Umm...well, I guess. Senpai is a strict teacher, though."

"So Boss really has matured?" Hikaru looked towards Kaoru. "Honestly?"

Kaoru nodded, "Yeah. Especially since he's trying to prove himself to his grandmother."

The eldest red-head frowned. "She still doesn't think he's good enough?"

"No." Kiseki frowned, "She believes that he needs to become a "strong and mature young adult" before he can take on the family name. She wants him to stop hanging around with the members of the Host Club."

"So she wants him to basically have no friends." Hikaru stated bluntly.

"Not unless they're approved by her."

Hikaru let out a slow breath. "Okay." He returned to picking at his food. "What time are your lessons?" He asked Kiseki.

"12:00." She smiled.

Hikaru glanced at the clock. "So in a couple hours."

"Yes."

"Alright." Hikaru stood with his plate and Buck's and began washing them. Kiseki took hers and Kaoru's plates and moved to help him.

Hikaru smiled at his sister. "Since when did you know how to wash dishes?"

She rolled her eyes, "Since I was little. I wasn't always being lazy and hating the world like you guys."

"We didn't hate the world." Hikaru pouted. "Just everyone outside of our world."

"Yeah, the one that you never let anyone into." She shrugged indifferently.

"We let _you_ into it, didn't we?" He retorted.

"I'm your sister, that's different." She shot back.

"No, that's even more special than for normal people since we would have basically grown up not wanting anything to do with you." The elder Hitachiin argued.

"But I made your life miserable." She smiled sweetly, "You had a reason to hate me."

"But we didn't." Hikaru paused, his eyes going wide. "I did not just say that."

Kiseki laughed, "Of 'course you didn't." She pantomimed zipping her lips and throwing away the key, and then she winked at him.

The eldest Hitachiin laughed. "Finally, she's quiet!" He lowered his voice. "Thanks. Kaoru would be annoyed with me if he found out."

She smiled knowingly, and then finished the dishes.

Hikaru smiled slightly and dried off his hands. "So what should we do to pass the time before the party slash meeting?" He asked, addressing the room in general.

"Well...I'm not sure, what do you want to do?" Kaoru asked, "Is there anywhere you really want to go now that you're back?"

Hikaru paused, thinking. "I...don't really know. I mean, I've already said hi to everyone except Kyoya-senpai. So...I really don't know. Shouldn't we be planning that amazingly epic party we were gonna throw, though?" He smiled.

"Sure." Kiseki smiled, "What sort of theme are we going for?"

"Hm...How about a beach theme? Or Egyptian?" Hikaru suggested.

"What about both?" She grinned.

"Sure!" The elder Hitachiin smiled slightly. "An Egyptian beach... That should be fun. Now, when should we have it?"

"Hmmmm...Maybe tomorrow?"

"Alright. Sounds good." Hikaru's smile widened. "That means we have work to do."

"Of course!" Kiseki laughed, "I'll figure something out for costumes. Can you and Kaoru handle food and a place?"

"Sure." Hikaru and Kaoru nodded.

"I'll arrange the food." Hikaru said.

"And I'll find the place." Kaoru added.

"We can probably handle the invitations, too." They said together.

"Good." She smiled at them, "Don't forget a time, either."

"We won't." They chorused.

"So is that what we're doing today? Before Boss' meeting?" Hikaru asked.

"Mmhm. If you don't get to it then you won't have time to finish." Kiseki winked at them, then skipped away to find appropriate costumes.

Hikaru and Kaoru made faces at her back before getting right to work on the invitations and other arrangements, dragging Buck along to help.

* * *

A few hours passed. The Hitachiin brothers and their soldier friend finally came back to the entrance hall, invitations in hand.

Their sister appeared at the top of the stairs, "Hikaru, I need to get your measurements again. And I need Buck's too."

Hikaru sighed good-naturedly and dragged Buck upstairs with him. "...do you need me to take my shirt off?"

"Hmmm..." Kiseki looked him over, "Maybe. It depends on how loose your shirt is."

Hikaru shrugged. "Just comfortable. I guess loose by your standards."

"Then take it off." She looked over at Buck, "And you?"

Buck smiled and held up his hands. "Don't worry 'bout mine, Miss Kiseki. You can measure me just fine."

Hikaru scoffed. "Yeah, because you're so worried about finding a 'hot Asian girl'." He removed his shirt, revealing an array of whip-like scars and assorted burns covering his back. A strange symbol seemed to be burned onto his chest, and his side was bandaged.

Kiseki glanced at her brother, but tried not to stare as she skillfully measured his waist, chest, arms and height. She wrote them down, and then measured Buck as well. "Okay, you guys can go now."

Hikaru put his shirt back on and he and Buck left to rejoin Kaoru in the living room. Kiseki went back to sewing the costumes for the party. The twins and Buck sit around, talking and figuring out various plans for the party as they wait for Kiseki.

After a little while she came back down, smiling, "Okay! They're finished! But you can't see them yet."

Kaoru laughed. "We guessed as much."

Hikaru smiled. "We thought you were gonna make us late."

Buck looked at her. "Are they always like this?"

Kiseki stuck her tongue out at her brothers, "Most of the time. Sometimes they're worse."

"I can't imagine worse." Buck laughed.

Hikaru and Kaoru stuck out their tongues back.

"We're not that bad." Hikaru said defensively.

"Not as bad as her." Kaoru added, mock-glaring at Kiseki.

Kiseki grinned evilly, "Yes, I'm definitely worse than you two, but we weren't talking about me, now were we?"

Buck shook his head. "Now I can see where the kid got his bite."

Hikaru frowned at him. "I'm not a kid!" Kaoru sniggered.

Kiseki laughed, "Okay, well, I'll see you all later. I have to go to my piano lesson."

"Oh. Right." Hikaru waved. "See you. Have fun. Tell Boss not to be late to the meeting."

"Of course." She waved and left, leaving her two brothers with Buck.

* * *

Kiseki ran over to Tamaki with a couple of streamers, "Hurry! Hikaru is gonna be here any minute!"

Honey gasped and hurried to help finish decorating, riding on Mori's shoulders. "I hope he's surprised!"

"Don't you think you guys are freaking out too much about this?" Haruhi smiled and looked around at the decked-out beach. "It looks great. I'm sure he's going to be more excited about being with us than the extent of the decorations."

"But it has to be perfect! Because it's special!" Kiseki pouted, "Besides, all of the other parties we had when we were kids were all decorated by the maids. This is more special than that!"

"But he's not going to study the decorations." Haruhi smiled, shaking her head.

"But it has to be perfect! This is Hika-chan's first time back with the Host Club!" Honey reached up to hang one end of a banner to a tree.

"And it gives us something to do while we wait." Kiseki smiled.

"While you wait for what?" Hikaru asked, smiling as he walked over with Buck. "You aren't waiting for me, are you?"

Honey squeaked and fell off of Mori's shoulders, landing neatly on his feet despite his surprise. "Hika-chan! You're early!"

Kiseki ran over to him, "I said 7:00! It's only 6:45!"

Hikaru laughed. "I don't mind coming early. Besides, I don't have anything else to do yet."

"But we're not ready yet!" She scowled.

"I can help you with the decorations." The elder Hitachiin smiled. "And I brought an unwilling slave." He nodded at Buck, who rolled his eyes.

"No, you're not allowed to!" She protested.

Hikaru laughed. "Why not?"

"Because you're not supposed to help with your own party!" She pouted, "It's not fair!"

"Well..." He looked around. "I've now already seen the decorations thus far. I don't think you can really surprise me with it anymore. So I should help."

"No." Kiseki crossed her arms stubbornly.

Hikaru laughed. "What should I go do for the next thirteen minutes then?"

"Go...I don't know, just go do something!"

"Do you want me to leave Buck here?" The elder sibling smirked.

"No." She scowled.

"Are you sure? He's taller than any of you." Hikaru smiled.

She stuck her tongue out at him, "No! Now go!"

Hikaru laughed. "Come on, pal. She doesn't want us." He stuck his tongue out back. "I'm gonna be late, then. Just because you kicked me out." The little devil turned and walked away.

Kiseki silently fumed while she helped with the last of the decorations. Finally, when the time for the party came, the guests arrived. All but Hikaru and Buck, at least. And Kyoya.

Sophia walked over to Kiseki, looking around. "Where is he?"

She shook her head, "I don't know. I hope he's okay."

"Do you really think Kyoya-senpai will show up?" The younger Suoh asked.

Kiseki's face fell, "I don't know. But I really hope he does."

Kaoru walked over. "Where's Hikaru? We told him what time the party was, right?"

"He came early, but we shooed him out so we could finish the decorations." She frowned, "I haven't seen him since then."

"He's probably somewhere nearby, waiting until he's 'fashionably late' to come." Kaoru smiled. "Especially since you kicked him out."

She nodded, "Yeah...you're probably right."

Kaoru nodded, but stayed by his sister rather than wander off to mingle with the guests. "Baka Hikaru..." The younger twin sighed.

"...do you really think he's alright?" Kiseki looked up at him, concern shining in her eyes.

"He's fine. He's just messing with us." Kaoru nodded, frowning slightly. "Hikaru can't be on time to his own party. It wouldn't be the proper thing for him to do after being gone for so long."

"...if you say so." She frowned.

After a few more minutes, Kaoru sighed. "He'll be here soon." He walked away to socialize.

Kiseki looked after him for a moment, then slipped away to search for Hikaru. Hikaru was sitting on the hood of Buck's rental car outside, the car itself nondescript and therefore hard to find. He waved when he saw Kiseki, Buck smiling from where he stood beside Hikaru.

She glared at him, "Get your butt inside! We were worried about you!

"You told me to leave and do something." Hikaru blinked innocently.

"You're late!"

Hikaru glanced at a watch on his wrist. "Am I really? I didn't notice."

She frowned, "Yes. You are."

He laughed lightly. "Alright, alright. We'll be in in a second."

Kiseki sighed, "Fine. Don't be too long, okay?"

Hikaru waved. Buck laughed. "We won't. I promise to bring him in soon."

She nodded and went back to the party. Kaoru looked over when she entered, raising an eyebrow questioningly.

"He's sitting on Buck's car." She scowled.

Kaoru smiled and returned to his conversation with Tamaki and Haruhi. A few more minutes passed by before Hikaru and Buck walked in. Kiseki smiled, relieved and brought them each a glass of punch and chatting for a few moments before turning and leaving to find Sophia.

Sophia stood by the water, looking at the ocean. She smiled at Kiseki when she noticed her. "Eet is good to see Hikaru back again."

"Yeah. It is." Kiseki smiled, "How are you and Tamaki?"

"Ve...ve are vell. Eet was nice to see our mother again." The younger Suoh nodded, looking back at the ocean. "Even if eet caused some problems. Eet vas worth it."

Kiseki nodded, "That's good...at least you got to see her."

"Yes. She is...vell. Better than I vas expecting." Sophia's gaze became distant for a moment, and then she shook her head, smiling. "Enough of ze sadness and ze sorrow. Tamaki and I are vell. You should be spending time vith your brothers."

"I know. It's just...strange. They seem so different now." Kiseki smiled softly.

"Zey are. A lot can change in a couple of months." She nodded. "Even if eet does not seem to have changed much, I'm certain zere is a lot about zem that is different."

"I guess you're right." She smiled at Sophia, "I'm going to go make sure Buck is fitting in. Hikaru is too insensitive to that kind of thing."

Sophia laughed. "Very well. I vill make sure my brother is staying out of ze trouble." She waved and wandered off to track down Tamaki.

Smiling, Kiseki wandered around, talking with a couple people, before approaching Hikaru and Buck.

Hikaru was blushing bright red as Buck talked to Kaoru and Haruhi. "And _then _he panicked and dropped the grenade, right there in the trench!"

"I'd never thrown a grenade before!" Hikaru said defensively.

Kiseki giggled, "You dropped a _grenade_?"

Hikaru blushed brighter, if possible. "I didn't _drop_ it! It slipped out of my hand!"

Buck laughed. "Still scared the living crap outta all of us. One guy almost didn't get out of the trench in time."

"I don't remember you being so clumsy." She laughed.

"W-well, things are different on the battlefield!" He retorted. "It's like finals, but worse!"

"I don't think finals can even be used as a comparison for war, Hikaru." His sister grinned.

"Well...whatever." Hikaru looked down, his face red. "Buck's too busy telling stories about little mess-ups the new recruit did. He fails to remember that about half of those ended up being blamed on him."

Buck scowled. "Yeah, yeah. You and yer silver tongue of yers."

"Yep, that sounds like Hikaru." She laughed.

Hikaru smiled. "Like the stink bomb."  
"No, you didn't get outta that one that easy." Buck laughed.

"Well, you got in trouble for it, didn't you?"

"So did you." The American grinned. "We had latrine duty together, remember?"

Hikaru rolled his eyes, looking at Kiseki. "He has a faulty memory, I swear. Too much sun."

"Maybe you just think a bit too highly of yourself." She grinned.

"Me? Think too highly of myself?" Hikaru said disbelievingly. "No way."

Buck laughed and shook his head. "He's the one who got too much sun." He blinked and looked towards the parking lot as a black car pulled in. "Were we expectin' someone else?"

Kiseki stopped, looking at the car in disbelief, "Did he really...?"

Hikaru blinked at the car. "Is that Kyoya-senpai's car? Or am I seeing things?"

"You're seeing things." Haruhi said, laughing. "Why wouldn't Kyoya-senpai come? He missed you as much as the rest of us."

Tamaki broke into a grin and dashed for the car while Honey climbed onto Mori's shoulders to get a better look. Kiseki was smiling.

Kaoru stopped talking and looked at the car. "No way. Did he actually come?"

The car door opened and Kyoya Ootori stepped out. Tamaki instantly attached himself to Kyoya, like they did when they were in middle school.

"He came." Kiseki gave Kaoru a grin, "I told you so."

Kaoru laughed. "The Shadow King has been dragged from the shadows at last."

Kyoya sighed, adjusting his glasses. "Tamaki, please get off. You act as if it has been years since you've seen me, rather than a few weeks."

Tamaki pouted, but let go, "Aw, but we missed you!"

Honey-senpai grinned, "Yay! Kyo-chan's back!"

The Shadow King raised an eyebrow at Tamaki, and then looked at Honey. "I merely came to welcome Hikaru back."

Hikaru smiled. "It actually seems like he cares a little, hm?"

Kiseki gave him a small frown, "Is that the only reason you came?"

Kyoya faltered a little, adjusting his glasses again and looking away. "No, it is not."

Hikaru laughed, raising an eyebrow at Kaoru. "I thought you were joking." He stage-whispered.

Kaoru shrugged, whispering back. "It's weird, right? Definitely odd."

Kiseki glared at her brothers, "Keep your opinions to yourself, please."

Hikaru grinned. "You're our little sister."  
Kaoru mirrored him. "Yeah, we're supposed to comment on every aspect of your life."

"Especially your love life." They said.

Her face went red, "It's none of your business! Besides, you don't even know the whole story!"

"Then why don't you tell us?" Hikaru asked, smiling.  
"Yeah. Fill us in?" Kaoru added.  
Kyoya sighed and adjusted his glasses. "Welcome back, Hikaru."  
Hikaru nodded to him. "Thanks, Kyoya-senpai."

Kiseki shakes her head, "All of you are hopeless."

Honey grins, "But we managed to get this far!"

Hikaru blinked. "What do you mean, hopeless?"

"Yeah!" Kaoru frowned.

"You know what I mean." She retorted, looking away indignantly.

Buck laughed. "Do ya'll always bicker this much?"  
"Usually more." Hikaru said, smiling.

"She usually starts it, though." Kaoru added.

"You do too!" She argued, but seemed to let it go.

Kyoya sighed and adjusted his glasses, walking away from his car and to the actual party area, to Hikaru. "Welcome back, Hikaru."

Hikaru shook his hand. "Thanks. Again. How have you been?"  
"The same as always." The Shadow King answered vaguely.

The rest of the host club began to return to their quiet conversations and Kiseki let Honey-senpai drag her over to a table covered in several different types of cake. Hikaru laughed, telling a story to an interested Haruhi, Tamaki and Sophia. Kaoru listened intently.

"And so, there we were, heading out for a field mission, when out of _nowhere _this old lady appears. We didn't know what to do. We had orders to shoot anything that attacked us." Hikaru's hand started shaking a little. "But this was just a harmless old lady. So we went about our business and moved past her." His voice lowered. "The next thing I knew, there were gunshots everywhere. The old lady had an M-16 hidden in her dress and was killing everyone." His eyes widened and he looked around. "The...the sand was everywhere...you couldn't see a thi-thing..."

Kaoru frowned. "Hikaru? Hey, Hikaru, are you okay?"

Hikaru's face went pale. "And there was gunshots e-everywhere..."

Buck grabbed Hikaru a second before he collapsed. "Alright, kid, that's enough storytelling. Come on." He looked at the others. "Sorry about this. He just needs to...rest." The American led Hikaru away from the party.

* * *

I'm sorry to leave it on such a horrible part! I swear I'll update again as soon as I can! Please review!

Kitsune Curoryu


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